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At the beginning of Amy Coney Barrett’s Senate hearing, American Democrats warned about the consequences of her appointment as Supreme Court Justice. They see the US healthcare system, which was reformed under former President Barack Obama, at risk. “The healthcare of millions of Americans is at stake with this nomination,” Senator Dianne Feinstein said on the Justice Committee. There Barrett has to face questions from MPs for several days.
Barrett stuck to his statement released over the weekend, stressing, among other things, that he would interpret the constitution and laws “as written.” He also said he tried to see his judgments from the perspective of the losing party: “Even if I didn’t like the result, I would understand that the decision was justly reasoned and enshrined in law.
Democrats note, among other things, that Barrett has criticized the Supreme Court’s arguments in recent years, with the constitutional upholding of Obama’s “Affordable Care Act”. On November 10, it is said that the Supreme Court will address for the first time a lawsuit between Texas and California, in which it is about the evaluation of the “Affordable Care Act.” Senator Sheldon Whitehouse called Barrett a “legal torpedo” against the reform known as “Obamacare.”
Democrats fear the fallout from the crown could also be counted as past illnesses
Health care reform enforced, among other things, that Americans cannot be denied health insurance due to prior illnesses. Democrats argue that with a cancellation by the Supreme Court, the consequences of a corona infection could also count as a pre-existing condition that gets in the way of health insurance.
President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans plan to take Barrett to the Supreme Court before the November 3 presidential election. The final vote is scheduled for October 22. The president made no secret that he was also interested in possible legal disputes over the counting of votes in the elections.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons told Barrett’s speech that he did not believe they had made a secret deal with Trump. “But I think he was chosen because his legal philosophy will produce the results President Trump wants.” Coons’ party colleague Richard Blumenthal urged Barrett not to participate in any decision on the outcome of the election.
For Republicans, Senator Mike Lee noted that Barrett, as a Supreme Court Justice, must follow the law and not do politics. Lee tested positive for coronavirus last week. He was still present at the hearing in person and spoke without a mask after his doctor assured him that the senator was no longer infectious. Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who also tested positive, connected it through the Internet.
Vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who as a senator was also a member of the judicial committee and was connected by video, called the nomination process “illegitimate.” The hearing is a clear attempt by Republicans to push for a candidate who will “take care of millions of people” amid a deadly pandemic, Harris said.
The president’s approach has caused outrage among Democrats for weeks: They have unsuccessfully demanded that the staff make up their minds after the election. In 2016, Republicans in the Senate for months blocked the appointment of a vacant Supreme Court seat by Trump’s predecessor Obama, arguing that voters should have an indirect voice through presidential elections.
Trump was then able to occupy the position on the powerful Supreme Court after his electoral victory. With Barrett, he can now occupy third place on the Supreme Court since taking office. He will succeed Liberal Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in September. With his appointment, the Conservatives would have a dominant majority of six of the nine seats on the Supreme Court. The court often has the last word in legal disputes over politically controversial issues such as immigration or abortion rights.
Judges are nominated by the President and appointed for life by the Senate. There the Republicans occupy 53 of the 100 seats. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar admitted that opposition Democrats could not prevent Barrett’s appointment. But they have a “secret weapon”: the vote of the voters of the Republican senator. He called on citizens to call the Senate and give their opinion.
